One couple, one toilet, one digestive emergency, and a half-finished shower. For anyone who values poop-time privacy, it's hard to imagine a more awkward combo. Someone recently shared how they handled that exact scenario, sparking an online debate about bathroom decorum and, by extension, whether couples should be comfortable pooping in each other's company.In a viral thread on Reddit, the OP said they arrived home and told their boyfriend they were taking a "quick shower." But as soon as they started shampooing, their partner walked in and announced an urgent poop emergency. "I respond 'Dude, no. I'll just close the shower curtain and you can go,'" they replied. "To which he responds 'Are you serious?!? You gotta get out!' To which I'm like, 'Dude, are YOU seriously asking me to get out of the shower right now?'" A modern bathroom. Photo by 99.films on Unsplash The context here is crucial. The Redditor said they've lived together for more than two years and are "pretty [comfortable] with each other but definitely not to the point of pooping in front of each other." Their boyfriend has IBS, so bathroom urgency is a serious issue for him: "When he's gotta go, he's gotta go." But the OP noted that their home is very cold and heated with a wood stove. "I hadn't gotten the fire going yet so was just standing freezing and dripping and shampoo-haired outside the bathroom waiting for him to s---," they added. "This is obviously not THAT big of a deal but like…am I crazy thinking that it's a wild ask to make ur partner leave mid shower so you can take a dump?"The post went viral, and many comments appeared to side with the boyfriend, citing general privacy concerns as well as his IBS."I've been married over 20 years and we still give each other privacy to poop""Ngl I wouldn't want to be in the shower while someone was actively s----ing in the same room, but maybe that's me.""op even said he has IBS. Bro is fighting demons in there""I have [Crohn's]. If my wife had to vacate the shower every time I unexpectedly needed the toilet, she'd be shaving her head.""Sometimes when I s--- I don't even want to be in there""I’ve been married over 20 years and we still give each other privacy to poop. Multiple bathrooms do help. IBS adds a whole level of complexity to this scenario. It's urgent, and often very unpleasant both in sound/smell and he's probably embarrassed enough by it as it is. This was a case of really bad timing. If it happens again, rinse out the shampoo and get out ASAP - although you're majorly inconvenienced, he's got an actual emergency." - YouTube www.youtube.com "I am not leaving that water till the shampoo is rinsed and conditioner is applied and rinsed. Period."But there were plenty of other perspectives. "This is so weird to me. I don't share a bathroom while my husband s---s if I can reasonably avoid it, but if I've just put in shampoo and he's got to GO, then we're just going to have to handle business at the same time. I'm not leaving the bathroom soapy and cold because he can't poop with an audience. It's just f---ing bodily functions, I'm not that precious and neither is he. IBS wouldn't change that. It's not ideal, but he'd never ask me to be physically uncomfortable because he was emotionally uncomfortable. Edit: to be clear, I'll rush the shower. Skip shaving and other unnecessary steps. Shorten the post shower routine or fully push it back. But I am not leaving that water till the shampoo is rinsed and conditioner is applied and rinsed. Period.""Completely wild. As much as I gotta poop (also in same boat with the IBS) if I'm kicking everyone out every time I do, nothing would ever get done. Nobody else can shower or use the shower to pee or my ol lady would never be able to get ready for work. Thats insane IMO." "I had an ex with IBS, it was bad. But I know how to just not use my nose in horribly smelly situations. I'd rush, for his comfort, but I wouldn't bail, covered in soap.""IBS emergencies are real and when someone says they have to go, they usually mean right now. That said, asking someone to step out of the shower soaking wet in a freezing house is also pretty rough and understandably frustrating.""I'm 12 years in and have never once done that with my husband in the room or vice versa"Naturally, some comments diverged from the original story and focused more on the idea of pooping in the same room as your partner."Honestly I’m more fascinated by how many spouses poop in front of each other. I’m 12 years in and have never once done that with my husband in the room or vice versa. I didn’t realise it was such a common thing!""I'm surprised how many people are appalled by the idea ? we have full blown conversations while pooping daily. If it's especially stinky I'll vacate, but otherwise it's not a big deal at all.""I dump in front of my husband all the time lol. And vice versa. Just turn on the fan. Oh and we have three bathrooms haha!"Bathroom etiquette is complex. In a 2025 Reddit thread, people debated whether or not a "courtesy flush" is expected at someone else's house. Some argued it's the decent thing to do, while others doubted its effectiveness or disliked the idea because of water waste. - YouTube www.youtube.com